


Getting Closure

by tikkikwami



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast), The Adventure Zone: Amnesty (Podcast)
Genre: Angst, spoilers for episode 28+
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-28
Updated: 2019-06-28
Packaged: 2020-05-28 13:59:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 632
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19395592
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tikkikwami/pseuds/tikkikwami
Summary: Indrid looked uncertain, hesitant. He kept awkwardly putting his hands in his pockets and taking them out again. He must know what Aubrey was going to ask.“Why didn’t you stop it?” they said at the same time. Aubrey could feel tears building in her eyes, her expression going angry and ugly, but she didn’t care. She had to know.





	Getting Closure

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone! This is definitely different from what I normally write because there is no shipping element whatsoever. Just angst, I guess. I really want to see Aubrey confront Indrid in the podcast, but since I doubt that will happen, here's my take on that scene.

After the meeting in the Cryptonomica dispersed, Aubrey took the first chance she had to talk to Indrid. Dani gave her a sympathetic look and left with the others. One by one, everyone left until it was just the two of them.

Indrid looked uncertain, hesitant. He kept awkwardly putting his hands in his pockets and taking them out again. He must know what Aubrey was going to ask. 

“Why didn’t you stop it?” they said at the same time. Aubrey could feel tears building in her eyes, her expression going angry and ugly, but she didn’t care. She had to know. 

Indrid looked at the floor silently, then back at her. He pushed his glasses to the top of his head, and she saw his eyes for the first time. They were full of sorrow. “I didn’t think it was going to happen.” 

“But you _knew_ ,” Aubrey insisted, hands balled up at her sides, teeth gritted. 

Indrid slowly nodded. “The thing is, Aubrey, I can see what might happen and I know the probabilities. Ned’s death was only 0.001 percent likely to happen.” He sighed, staring past Aubrey, as if he was deep in thought. “It was horrible, Aubrey. I saw it.”

Aubrey just stared at him. “He wasn’t supposed to die?” 

“It was just terribly unlikely. Honestly, it was more likely that he would die in an accident driving his way there.” He met her eyes, finally, and she could see that they were wet with tears. “He was one of the first friends I’ve made in decades, Aubrey. If I just… I know I shouldn’t blame myself, but…” 

Aubrey sighed, the tension in her shoulders relaxing. Her nails stopped digging into her palms. “I understand,” she said quietly. “You… saw that it was so unlikely that there was no need for you to intervene.” 

“Exactly,” he whispered. “I’m so sorry.” 

Surprising even herself, Aubrey took a step toward Indrid and wrapped her arms around him, leaning her chin on his shoulder. Hesitantly, he returned the hug after a couple of seconds. “There was just so much more I wanted to tell him,” she said softly, voice cracking. “It’s been two months and I still think about it every day.” 

“I know,” he said, petting her hair. Then he stepped back, putting his hands on her shoulders. “You should write a response to his letter.” 

“What?” she asked, wiping her eyes. 

“I didn’t read the letter,” Indrid said, “because that was a private thing, and I had no business doing so. But I know he probably said some heartfelt things in it, because it was his goodbye letter. He was going to skip town after that night.”

“Why would I write a response to it?” Aubrey sniffled.

Indrid’s hands fell to his sides. “Well, obviously you couldn’t give it to him or anything,” he told her, “but it might feel good to put those things you would have said to him on paper.”

“Okay,” Aubrey said quietly. After a moment, she asked, “Can you give me a ride to Duck’s?” 

“Of course I can,” Indrid said, turning toward the door and gesturing toward it. “After you.”

Honestly, Aubrey got more than she thought she would out of this conversation. She thought she was going to yell at Indrid for not stopping Ned’s death, that he could have stopped it but chose not to for some bullshit reason. But that wouldn’t have made her feel better. It would have made the grief more raw. 

Instead, he made her feel a little calmer about the situation and gave her some advice for getting closure. And she didn’t blame him anymore.

“Thanks, Indrid,” she said tiredly, walking past him toward the Winnebago. Maybe she’d try writing the letter that night, she thought.


End file.
